Unprecedented Times: Learnings from Conducting Research During A Global Pandemic

The Engaging Youth for Positive Change (EYPC) civic engagement program aims to improve rural community health by training youth to engage with their local governments to adopt equitable, health-promoting policies. In 2019, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded our study, a randomized controlled trial that was intended to evaluate the impact the EYPC civics curriculum on student health and community wellbeing in rural Illinois. Recruitment of rural schools began in January 2020, and within a few months we had recruited 18 schools and 18 teachers into control and treatment groups and expected to steadfastly proceed. Of course, no one could have predicted the circuitous path our research would take. 

From 2020-2023, schools were stretched thin as they grappled with tradeoffs between public health protections and social and educational detriments of remote learning, in addition to supporting families and communities through the societal reckoning with the legacy of racism in the U.S. that was sparked by George Floyd’s murder.  As a result, our evaluation was sidelined by schools, and rightfully so, forcing us to reassess our research efforts: How could we realign our work to understand how a civics curriculum, student health, and community well-being interact and influence each other, given the new landscape?

Table 1. Research Questions and Data Sources[1]

How we developed and Implemented a Plan B…and a Plan C

When most schools across the country decided to move towards online and hybrid learning in Fall 2020, only two of our original study participants remained on board. Therefore, we implemented Plan B, which expanded our recruitment to rural schools from six other states with similar civics standards and a significant number of rural schools. Throughout Summer and Fall 2021, the research team called over 1,200 principals and e-mailed social studies teachers and their district administrators, with the invitation to participate in the study. Unfortunately, as the re-imagined recruitment process was nearing its conclusion, we realized that we were still far from our school participation goal. 

Accordingly, we pivoted once again, to Plan C, in which we incorporated qualitative data in the form of teacher interviews. This addition allowed us to develop a more robust understanding of how EYPC was implemented in specific rural schools and ascertain any evidence of impact on youth health and community wellbeing. 

Data Synergy and Integration 

Over the course of six semesters (3 years), a total of 38 schools were recruited, yet less than half of those recruited were able to complete their participation in the study. Of those 16 schools that completed the study, 6 served as treatment schools and 10 were control schools. From these schools, data was collected from student surveys, teacher lesson reflections (“logs”), and teacher interviews.

Qualitative interviews were conducted with a small number of treatment teachers that consented in the Spring and Fall of 2022. We interviewed each teacher post-treatment to obtain a broader understanding of community health equity in their rural communities, their interpretations, and reflections on how their students responded to the EYPC curriculum, as well as pedagogical practices that may enhance the program’s effectiveness in rural schools.

Together with student survey data and weekly teacher logs, these teacher interviews allowed for triangulation of how EYPC addresses the culture of health in each rural community. While we know that moving the needle on community health is a long-term endeavor, the teacher interviews revealed how EYPC galvanized local efforts to address community health challenges.

What We Learned in the Face of Adversity

America experienced a seismic shift during the 3.5 years of our study, and as researchers, we had to adapt along with it. To look at our study and say that it was inconclusive or that it fell apart would be to misinterpret its evolution. Instead, our commitment to the study led to reimagining what counted as data, and how we interpreted the study’s results. We learned two important lessons as a result. 

First, preparing for all contingencies is impossible! Our multiple design pivots illustrate the importance of being open and receptive to changing the research plan. Instead of taking the challenges of recruitment at face value, for example, we opted to adapt and reflect on other effective options. 

Second, be open to unexpected findings. For example, although the data we collected did not reflect changes in the health or political behaviors of rural youth, our findings suggest that in some locations the EYPC curriculum spurred community change in meaningful and sustainable directions. Even though the study design was unable to produce the power needed to examine causation, the results illuminate a promising correlation between increasing political activism and engaging in healthy lifestyle choices. Overall, teachers perceived students to be engaged and attentive during EYPC lessons and felt that the students developed a deeper understanding of local government and the potential for local civic action. Students in rural America showed us that even in the face of worldwide political and social unrest, they are not only resilient but can adapt to these changes and engage meaningfully with their communities.